1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus for guiding a moving vehicle to the destination and detecting a failure condition within a loading room, a communication server system for giving information such as the destination or the like to the vehicle and an alternative vehicle guiding system for guiding smoothly and quickly, utilizing these apparatus and system explained above, an alternative vehicle to the failure generating vehicle position if a failure is generated in the loading room of the vehicle and safe-keeping of load can no longer be maintained during the transportation work and then assuring quick transfer of the remaining work of the failure generating vehicle to the alternative vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a navigation system for accurately guiding a vehicle within a short period to the destination by displaying, during the running of vehicle, the position information and route information up to the destination to a driver of vehicle has been mounted to a transportation vehicle used in the transportation business for collecting and distributing the loads in order to accurately collect and distribute the loads within a short period of time even if a driver is not well informed with the geographical features of the area in charge.
In this navigation system, the current position information of the vehicle mounting this system is obtained mainly using GPS (Global Positioning System) as the measuring means to measure the current position of the vehicle, this position information is collated with the map information stored in a storage device as the map database within the vehicle and the map of the predetermined range in the periphery of the current position is displayed on the display area and the current position of the vehicle is displayed on this map. When the position information of the destination (latitude and longitude) is inputted as required from an operation terminal, this position information of the destination is collated with the map database and the route information up to the destination is displayed on the map. When a driver previously inputs the position information of the destination with hands or voices, the current position is detected with the navigation system while the vehicle is running and the map in which the route to the destination is indicated is displayed on the display area in view of guiding the vehicle to the destination.
In addition to this navigation system, a fault monitoring means has often been mounted to the existing vehicle for transportation business in order to detect a fault condition in t he loading room utilizing various sensors and notifying the detected fault condition to a driver. In this case, an adequate measure for damage of loads can be taken by quickly notifying, to a driver, such fault condition in the loading room of vehicle with the fault monitoring means.
Moreover, in the transportation business, a vehicle distribution system has also been introduced in which a manager performs, in the vehicle distribution base which is linked with a plurality of vehicle for transportation with a radio (wireless) communication link, the distribution work (vehicle distribution) to adequately assign many load collecting and distributing points and load items to be collected and distributed to each vehicle, departing/arriving relaying points of each vehicle based on such distribution work and instructing information such as contents of transportation are transmitted as the voice or facsimile information to a plurality of vehicles via the radio communication link from the vehicle distribution base explained above in order to notify the information to a driver of each vehicle and thereby each vehicle can efficiently perform the transportation work. In this vehicle distribution system, the vehicle distribution base receives the information such as current position or the like from a driver of each vehicle as the voice or facsimile information via the radio communication link and thereby can roughly detect the current positions of a plurality of vehicles and working conditions thereof. Moreover, a system has also be established in which if a fault is generated in the loading room of the vehicle mounting the fault monitoring means and a driver knows generation of fault with the fault monitoring means, a driver makes contact with the vehicle distribution base using a radio system or a telephone or the like and a manager searches in the vehicle distribution base an alternative vehicle through a vehicle distribution system and instructs the alternative vehicle to go to the position of the fault generating vehicle in order to succeed the work.
Since the existing vehicle for transportation and vehicle distribution system have been structured as explained above, if a fault is generated in the loading room of any vehicle, only a driver can know the fault condition through fault detection with the fault monitoring means. In this case, after a driver has detected the fault condition, a driver is requested to execute the work to make contact with the vehicle distribution base and then request distribution of an alternative vehicle from the vehicle distribution base through the vehicle distribution system. Accordingly, the existing system explained above has a problem that a considerable time is required until an alternative vehicle arrives and a certain influence is generated in some cases in the loads.
Moreover, when the navigation system is mounted in the vehicle, if the current position information of the fault generating vehicle is sent to an alternative vehicle with the vehicle distribution system after an alternative vehicle is determined, the information input operation to the navigation system by a driver in the vehicle side is required and moreover the alternative vehicle acquires for the first time the information required for succession of work such as the remaining relaying points and destination or the like from the fault generating vehicle when it arrives at the fault generating vehicle position through the guidance by the navigation system. Therefore, the work for inputting again such information to the navigation system of the alternative vehicle with the driver""s operation is also required together with the transfer of the loads, resulting in the problem that amount of work of a driver of the alternative vehicle increases to enhance the sharing of the driver giving a certain influence on the successive transportation work.
The present invention has been proposed to overcome the problems explained above and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus for guiding a moving vehicle to the destination by displaying the route to the destination to a driver and for detecting a fault condition in the loading room, a communication server system for transmitting information, such as destination or the like to the vehicle based on the vehicle destination information and an alternative vehicle guiding system with which the communication server system automatically receives a fault condition information from a fault generating vehicle and automatically sends, without any information input operation by a driver, the information such as a fault generating vehicle position or the like to the navigation system of the vehicle as an alternative vehicle in order to prevent damage of loads by smoothly and quickly guiding the alternative vehicle to the current position of the fault generating vehicle and to efficiently and quickly continue the remaining distribution work of the fault generating vehicle with the alternative vehicle.
In order to attain the object explained above, the mobile-type vehicle guiding apparatus of the present invention comprises a navigation system comprising a measuring means for obtaining the current position, a map database storing the map information and a display area that can display characters and video information and assures visual recognition of a driver for displaying the current position of the vehicle on the display area together with the map of peripheral areas by collating the current position information obtained from the measuring means with the map information of the map database, a fault monitoring means for notifying a fault condition information to a driver with an audio output and/or the predetermined display that may be visually recognized with a driver by detecting the fault condition in the loading room of the vehicle and a vehicle communication means for receiving information transmitted from external side through the radio communication link and also transmitting, to the external side, the information obtained in the vehicle side including the current position information of the vehicle obtained with the measuring means of the navigation system and the fault condition information of vehicle obtained with the fault monitoring means with the radio communication link at least when a fault condition is generated, whereby at least the destination position information received with the vehicle communication means is collated with the map information of the map database and the route information up to the destination from the current position of vehicle is displayed on the display area.
As explained above, in the present invention, a navigation system for obtaining the current position of a vehicle to display it together with the map of the peripheral area, a fault monitoring means for detecting a fault condition in the loading room and then notifying it to a driver and a vehicle communication means for receiving an external information and then transmitting, to the external side, the current position information obtained from the navigation system when a fault is generated and the fault condition information obtained from the fault monitoring means are mounted in the vehicle and thereby when the vehicle communication means receives from the external side the position information of relaying point and destination position, the navigation system automatically obtains each information and displays a new route information up to the destination. Thereby, a driver can smoothly drive the vehicle to the destination and if a fault is generated in the loading room, a driver can quickly detect the fault in the loading room and can immediately take a proper measure.
Moreover, the communication server system of the present invention has a function to issue the work instructions by transmitting, to the vehicle communication means of each vehicle, the information of relaying points and destination of transportation, through the radio communication link, for a plurality vehicles for transportation based on the preset vehicle distribution information, wherein an information obtained in the vehicle side including the fault condition information is suddenly received from any vehicle after the position information of relaying point and destination for transportation based on the vehicle distribution information is transmitted as the initial value to a plurality of vehicles, if it is determined that the relevant vehicle cannot eliminate a fault condition, the current position of the fault generating vehicle and the relaying point and destination at which a fault generating vehicle does not arrive that are assigned to the fault generating vehicle are additionally assigned as the relaying point and/or destination of the other predetermined vehicle, and the position information of the relaying point and/or destination to be added are transmitted to the vehicle communication means of predetermined vehicle through the radio communication link.
In such present invention, as explained above, the communication server system as the vehicle distribution base for transmitting the vehicle distribution information to a plurality of vehicles receives, when any vehicle has generated a fault in the loading room, the fault condition information from this vehicle, determines an alternative vehicle from the other vehicles if a fault is generated in the loading room of any vehicle, determines the alternative vehicle from the other vehicles when an alternative vehicle is determined necessary and the fault generating vehicle position and relaying point and destination after the fault generating vehicle position assigned to the fault generating vehicle are transmitted to the alternative vehicle as the additional information of the vehicle distribution. Thereby, alternative vehicle management procedures by a vehicle distribution manager can be eliminated, vehicle distribution can be made smoothly, time required until arrival of alternative vehicle can be shortened and adverse effect on the load can also be reduced.
Moreover, in the alternative vehicle guiding system of the present invention, the communication server system explained above receives the information acquired in the vehicle side including the fault condition information from the vehicle in which a fault is generated in the loading room through the radio communication link and transmits the fault generating vehicle position information and position information of relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle and at which the fault generating vehicle does not arrive to the vehicle communication means of the other predetermined vehicle through the radio communication link and the navigation system of the predetermined vehicle explained above acquires the position information of relaying point and destination from the communication server system, collates the relevant position information with the map information of map database and displays the route information up to the current position of vehicle on the display area.
As explained above, in the present invention, the navigation system for obtaining the current position of vehicle and displays the position with the map of the peripheral area, fault monitoring means for detecting the fault condition in the loading room of vehicle and then notifying such fault condition to a driver and vehicle communication means for receiving information from external side and transmitting the current position information obtained from the navigation system when a fault condition is generated and the fault condition information obtained with the fault monitoring means to the external side are respectively provided in a plurality of vehicles for transportation, and the communication server system is provided as the vehicle distribution base to transmit the vehicle distribution information to each vehicle, and the communication server system receives a fault condition information from a vehicle when a fault is generated in the loading room of any vehicle, determines an alternative vehicle from another vehicle or a plurality of vehicles when an alternative vehicle is determined necessary, transmits the fault generating vehicle position and the relaying point and destination after the fault generating vehicle position assigned to the fault generating vehicle to the alternative vehicle as the additional information of vehicle distribution, thereby the navigation system automatically acquires such information and displays a new route information up to the destination and the procedures required for a driver to notify the fault condition, the procedures required for vehicle distribution manager to distribute the alternative vehicle, the procedures required for a driver of alternative vehicle to input the current position information of the fault generating vehicle to the navigation system can be eliminated, the time required until the alternative vehicle arrives can be shortened, adverse effect on the load can be prevented, man-power required for procedures from fault notification to guiding of alternative vehicle can be saved and the alternative vehicle can always be distributed smoothly in night and day without any manual operations. Moreover, input operations to the navigation system of a driver is no longer required even after the alternative vehicle arrives, a load of the driver of alternative vehicle can be reduced, the time required until transfer of transportation work to the alternative vehicle can drastically shortened and adverse effect on the successive transportation work can be reduced.
Moreover, the alternative vehicle guiding system of the present invention searches as required, when the communication server system receives a fault condition information from any vehicle and is requested to distribute a vehicle in place of the fault generating vehicle by suddenly receiving the fault condition information from any vehicle, the route passing the position of the fault generating vehicle and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle from the current position of each vehicle other than the fault generating vehicle and adds the fault generating vehicle position and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle to the predetermined vehicle to realize the optimum route among a plurality of vehicles as the new relaying and/or destination of the predetermined vehicle. As explained above, in the present invention, when sudden fault condition information is inputted to the communication server system, the communication server system searches a route passing the fault generating vehicle position and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle from the current positions of a plurality of vehicles, guides a vehicle that may realize the optimum route and transmits the position information in addition to such vehicle. Thereby, if a fault is generated in any vehicle, a vehicle that can pass the fault generating vehicle position and remaining relaying points and destination without large deviation from the route based on the initial value within the shortest time can be selected. Accordingly, an alternative vehicle can be moved to the fault generating vehicle position within a shorter period to surely maintain the quality of load, the transportation work of the alternative vehicle after transfer of work can be progressed smoothly and efficiently and thereby loss due to fault generation can be minimized.
Moreover, in the alternative vehicle guiding system of the present invention, the communication server system searches, as required, a route passing the fault generating vehicle position and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle from the current position of each vehicle other than the fault generating vehicle, determines adequacy of a plurality of vehicles for one or a plurality of restricting conditions in relation to the works assigned to the fault generating vehicle, and adds the fault generating vehicle position and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle to the predetermined vehicle that satisfies the conditions of work and realize the optimum route as the new relaying point and destination. As explained above, in the present invention, for generation of a fault in any vehicle, the communication server system searches, from the current positions of a plurality of vehicles, the route passing the fault generating vehicle position and not yet passing relaying point and destination assigned to the fault generating vehicle, determines adequacy of each vehicle for the restricting condition in relation to the work assigned to the fault generating vehicle, guides a vehicle that can satisfies the conditions of work and realize the optimum route and transmits the additional position information to this vehicle. Thereby, if a fault is generated in any vehicle, the work can be transferred each time by selecting a vehicle that is most suitable for transfer of work from the fault generating vehicle and assures the highest efficiency. Accordingly, the transportation work of the alternative vehicle after the transfer of work can be progressed smoothly and loss due to generation of fault can be minimized.
Moreover, the alternative vehicle guiding system of the present invention uses, as requires, the mobile telephone network as the radio communication link, distributes a mobile telephone as the vehicle communication means of each vehicle, sets up the line connection by calling the communication server system with the mobile telephone of a relevant vehicle when a fault is generated in the loading room of any vehicle, automatically transmits an information obtained in the vehicle side including the fault condition information to the communication server system, also sets up the line connection by calling the mobile telephone of an alternative vehicle after the communication server system has determined the alternative vehicle and also automatically transmits the position information of the additional relaying point and/or destination. As explained above, the present invention uses the mobile telephone network as the radio communication link, transmits a fault condition information by opening the communication link with the communication server system side from the vehicle side when a fault is generated and also transmits the additional vehicle distribution information by opening the communication link with the alternative vehicle side from the communication server system for the alternative vehicle. Thereby, if a fault is generated, the communication server system side can acquire the fault condition information transmitted without operation such as response or the like by a manager in the communication server system, the vehicle distribution information can be transmitted without waiting for the response of a driver of the alternative vehicle from the communication server system, information can be exchanged smoothly even during the urgent communication by realizing automatic transmission and reception when a fault is generated, management can be eased through the labor-saving even when adequate measure can always be taken and accordingly communication cost can be reduced because necessary information can be transmitted and received when necessary even if the communication link is not always in the connected condition.
Moreover, in the alternative vehicle guiding system of the present invention, the vehicle communication means transmits, as required, an information acquired in the vehicle side including at least the current position information of the vehicle obtained with a measuring means of the navigation system and also a fault condition information of the vehicle obtained with a fault monitoring means when a fault condition is generated to an external side through the radio communication link, and the communication server system receives the information acquired in the vehicle side from the vehicle communication means through the radio communication link to detect the running condition of each vehicle and also waits for the fault condition information from a certain vehicle. In the present invention explained above, the current position information sent from the navigation system is transmitted any time to the communication server system and the communication server system acquires the current position information from each vehicle to accurately detect the position of each vehicle, when an alternative vehicle is therefore required, the communication server system identifies accurately the position of each running vehicle based on the current position information, the vehicle that assures movement to the fault generating vehicle and most efficient transfer of transportation work can be selected correctly as the alternative vehicle and maintaining of quality of the load and smooth transportation work after the transfer can surely be realized.